Monday, September 5, 2011

Flavourful Saskatoon, September 5, 2011

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – organic, fair trade lemon pepper and dried fruit, a new pub, cooking classes and a food basket challenge

Ten Thousand Villages – Ethical, Organic Dried FruitTen Thousand Villages on 2nd Avenue is selling packages of dried fruit from Level Ground Trading. The fruit is certified organic and the farmers receive a fair price for their harvest. Fresh fruit is cut and dried by women living in Cazuca, Colombia, a refugee settlement on the outskirts of Bogotá, providing fair income, microcredit loans, education and health care opportunities for their families.

There are four different varieties: mango, pineapple, golden berry (I was told that the tart berries are really good in a salad), and tropical (banana, mango, coconut).

Rook and Raven Pub
A new pub opened this week on 2nd Avenue (where Barking Fish used to be located). The Rook and Raven is a new venture by the owners of the Yard and Flagon on Broadway. Lindsay Adams, one of their servers, says that there are lots of vegetarian options on the menu as well as an impressive Scotch list. I’ll be checking it out shortly.

Lemon Pepper, Orchard del Sol Orchard del Sol is a farm in south-central Costa Rica that produces pepper, coffee, vanilla, cocoa, and chocolate. The farm uses ecological, ethical farming practices. This means no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, a fair wage for employees, and shade-grown production providing a habitat for many species of birds.

They sell their products at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market as well as online. I am really enjoying using their lemon pepper. The fresh pepper berries are soaked in farm-fresh lemon juice and enhanced with organic lemon peel and zest. There is no filler – just pepper and lemon for lots and lots of flavour.
In addition to their food products,

The participants will attempt to live off a food basket from the Saskatoon Food Bank for up to one week and will share their experiences online. The Challenge is intended to generate awareness and discussion about poverty in our community. The Challenge begins on September 13 and wraps up with a town-hall style meeting on September 20.

Saskatoon Farmers’ Market – New Items
It’s so exciting to see an increasing diversity of fresh products available at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Floating Gardens is offering fresh okra, and La Plaine Trail Produce has tomatillos. I'm also enjoying the Chinese buns with sesame seeds or red bean paste from a new vendor.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. Email me (penny@axonsoft.com) if you have products, events or places that you would like me to include.